Legislature backs Chenette bill to combat robocalls

AUGUSTA — On Tuesday, the Maine House voted in support of a bill introduced by Sen. Justin Chenette, D-Saco, to ban automated and prerecorded voice robocalls to residential numbers in Maine.
 
“The state can’t sit idly by and wait for the federal government to act when small businesses are losing productivity, seniors are being scammed, and people are afraid to answer their phones,” said Sen. Chenette. “This bill gives the Attorney General’s office an important set of tools to prosecute robocalling, spoofing of numbers and telemarketing harassment.” 
 
LD 277, "An Act To Ban Telephone Solicitations Using an Artificial or Prerecorded Voice and Enhance Caller Identification," gives the Attorney General’s office the authority to enforce this ban on automated and prerecorded voice robocalls as an unfair trade practice, specifically on the grounds that the telemarketer’s intent is to defraud, cause harm or wrongfully profit off the communication.
 
This bill would also treat interconnected voice over internet protocol and text messaging, which are types of telecommunication services, as telemarketing under the law and clarify misleading or inaccurate caller ID information.
 
Nonprofits, services acting on behalf of nonprofits, telecommunications carriers, schools and emergency messages from government agencies will be exempt from the ban, as will individuals who give consent to receive this type of robocall communication.
 
LD 277 has received strong bipartisan support in the Maine Legislature. It now faces enactment votes in the Senate and the House.